Neighborhood spotlight: Wynwood after the murals

For years Wynwood was somewhere you visited: a warehouse district famous for its murals, its galleries and its Saturday-night crowds. That is changing. A wave of new mid-rise rental buildings, creative offices and ground-floor shops has turned Wynwood into a neighborhood where people actually live — and where investors are paying close attention.

How Wynwood got here

In the 2000s artists and gallerists moved into Wynwood’s cheap warehouses. The Wynwood Walls opened in 2009, Art Basel turned the area into a global destination and restaurants and breweries followed. In 2015 the city adopted a special zoning plan, the Wynwood Neighborhood Revitalization District, which allowed residential buildings of up to twelve stories while keeping the area’s industrial character and public art.

The result is a neighborhood of boutique rental buildings, lofts and converted warehouses, most of them less than ten years old.

What you can buy or rent

• Rentals: new one-bedroom apartments rent for roughly $2,900 to $3,600 per month and two-bedrooms for $3,800 to $4,800, often with rooftop pools, gyms and co-working spaces.
• Condos and lofts: a limited number of for-sale lofts trade between $450,000 and $900,000.
• Commercial: warehouses and creative offices remain the core of the market. Freestanding buildings with flexible zoning are in high demand.

Wynwood is still a place where a small building with a good mural and the right zoning can be a great long-term investment. The key is understanding exactly what the district allows.

Jordan Hayes, Urban & Investment Agent

Daily life

Wynwood is dense with coffee roasters, bakeries, breweries and restaurants, and the galleries and street art are still the main attraction. Midtown’s supermarkets and big-box stores are a five-minute walk north. Weeknights are relaxed; weekends are busy, especially during Second Saturday art walks and Art Basel week in December.

Getting around

Wynwood is walkable and bikeable, with free trolleys connecting it to Midtown, Edgewater and Downtown. Parking is scarce on weekends, so many residents rely on bikes, scooters and rideshare.

Things to consider

• Noise: some streets have bars and late-night venues. Visit at night before you sign a lease.
• Flooding: a few low-lying streets flood during heavy rain. Ask about the building’s history.
• Change: Wynwood is still evolving. Construction will continue for several years.

Investing in Wynwood

Wynwood’s investment story rests on three things: constrained land, strong rental demand and a zoning code that rewards well-designed projects. Small commercial buildings with flexible use have historically been the most sought-after assets, followed by boutique rental buildings near the core of the arts district.

Before you buy, understand the neighborhood’s special zoning overlay, the parking rules and the public-benefit requirements that come with additional density. A good agent can walk you through recent sales, cap rates and the pipeline of new projects nearby.

The best Wynwood deals are rarely the obvious ones. Look one or two blocks beyond the busiest streets, where rents are strong but prices still reflect yesterday’s neighborhood.

Living here day to day

Residents love the independent coffee shops, the gyms in converted warehouses and the feeling that something new opens every month. The neighborhood is also increasingly green, with new street trees and small plazas built into recent developments.

Families are discovering Wynwood too. Larger two- and three-bedroom units in the newer buildings, the parks of nearby Edgewater and quick access to the Design District’s museums make it easier to stay as households grow. Expect the neighborhood’s residential side to keep maturing over the next few years.

Who it suits

Creatives, young professionals and anyone who wants to live in a neighborhood with energy and character. For investors, Wynwood offers strong rental demand and long-term appreciation potential, especially for well-located commercial property.

See what is available in Wynwood and the neighboring Design District, including these two: